Global markets experienced more than two quarters of losses and investors are hurting. We have a message of hope, however, which put quite simply is that markets do recover.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer gave his Spring Statement to Parliament on 23 March. He needed to be seen to be responsive and we’ve summarised some key takeaways from his Statement.

Whilst we remain very pleased with the short, medium and long term performance of the discretionary investment managers we work with, we felt it would be helpful to address recent market volatility.

Covid and lockdowns have taught us that we can be more adaptable than we thought. Many of us have used this time in a good way, to look forward and make new plans and learn new skills.

We offer some key financial pointers for both savers and investors on matters from Standard Lifetime Allowance, ISA annual subscription limits, Inheritance Tax and Stamp Duty Holiday

National Savings & Investments (NS&I) announced a reduction in interest rates that will apply to their variable rate products and also to some fixed term products on maturity.

As the UK continues to emerge from lockdown, there is real uncertainty. The Bank of England Governor, has suggested negative interest rates may be needed as part of the response to the pandemic.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer  Rishi Sunak, presented his Budget to Parliament on Wednesday 11 March 2020. We’ve highlighted some key points of interest for savers and investors.

We would encourage you to spend more time thinking about what you are going to do with your life and money, rather than being concerned about the short term impact of markets on your investments.

We recently ran an Inheritance Tax Workshop to consider this subject in more detail. We wanted to make the topic more practical, rather than just simply looking at Allowances and Tax Avoidance.

We've been wondering if a better time to consider a Resolution is not New Year when it is cold and dark, but the new Tax Year in April, when nature makes you feel more inclined to get up and about.

While politicians in Westminster are struggling to put our UK “house” in order, perhaps this is a good time for you to try and do the same at home, especially when it comes to financial matters.

What about ethical choices for investing money. It is here that the impact can be higher, so is there a price to pay in terms of performance? Can a company be ‘green’ without being “in the red”?

Brexit appears to be hanging over the Stock Markets with comments about ‘wait and see’ and ‘treading water’. We continue to monitor the situation with our Discretionary Fund Managers.

The new Tax Year is upon us and we have a chance to make a difference with a few allowance changes to consider, not least the continued tapering of the Residence Nil Rate Band (RNRB).

Spring is a time of the year when evenings get lighter and the weather gets warmer and people reflect a little. Perhaps this is also a good time to do your own ‘State of the Nation’ planning.

The biggest winners from the budget were first time buyers with changes to Stamp Duty. Details concerning all the key changes that affect savers and investors are detailed for your information.

Investing in buy-to-let property has generated very good returns over the last two decades. However, a number of factors are changing and it may no longer be such a solid long term investment.

One of our investment partners, Brooks Macdonald, reminds us that a focus on diversifying client portfolios can provide positive returns at times of heightened political uncertainty.

Many Salary Sacrifice arrangements are going to be taxed as if they were income and this means that the humble Pension plan is starting to rise to the top of the pile again.